ASTR 380 (Hamilton)
EXAM I (100 points)
Thursday, Oct. 9

Details of the Exam

The exam will be given during lecture on Thursday Oct. 9 (normal time and place - ATL 2400 12:30pm - 1:45pm). The exam should take no more than 75 minutes to complete, so you should have plenty of time. You must bring your laptop to class with the Respondus Lockdown Browser already install. You may also bring one page of handwritten notes (front and back). And remember no books, calculators, phones, or other electronic devices are allowed!

There will be 25 multiple choice question worth 2.0 points each. For each one, choose the best answer from the available choices. In addition, there will be a short answer section with 3-5 questions worth a total of 50 points. A few of these may involve interpreting mathematical equations, however, any equations that you need will be given to you so you don't need to memorize them. No need to memorize numbers like the mass of the Sun either. Some questions may involve interpreting diagrams. Written responses to short answer questions will be graded on completeness and brevity. Most important: write enough to fully answer the questions (and answer them well). Try not to round out your answer with a lot of fluff that wanders off-topic. It is always a good idea to go back and re-read the question after you have finished to make sure that you have answered it as completely and concisely as possible!

The exam will cover lecture and section topics through Oct. 7 and the corresponding material in the book. If you have been keeping up in the class by attending lecture, reading and studying the book, reviewing your notes and the class slides, and doing the lecture quizzes, you should be in good shape to take the midterm. It is a good idea to review this material again during the week before the midterm so that it will be fresh in your mind. Don't just cram the night before the exam!

Example Questions

For examples of both Multiple Choice and Short Answer Questions, please refer to the Lecture Quizzes! The major difference is that you will not have the slide sets available, so be smart about what you put in your page of notes. Also, you'll have to commit to your answers by the end of class rather than getting a second chance as with the Lecture Quizzes.

Extended Office Hours

Extra Office Hours? You got it! Dr. Hamilton will hold extended office hours Wednesday October 8 from 12:30pm-3:00pm.

Some Important Topics We've Studied

These are just the titles of the lecture topics, gathered here for convenience.


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